Benevolence, from The Five Virtues

Description

This print belongs to a series of five depicting the cardinal virtues of Confucianism. In this image, a courtesan demonstrates benevolence by shaving her attendant’s neck. The other virtues are righteousness, decorum, knowledge, and fidelity. A poem at the top reads as follows: "If you would dwell on the path of the heart, / that is kind to others, / then must you not also be someone, / who suppresses even her own name?"

Provenance

Mrs. Madeleine Henderson Hamill [1876–1948], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1949); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1949–)

Benevolence, from The Five Virtues

Suzuki Harunobu

1767

Accession Number

1949.124

Medium

color woodblock print

Dimensions

Sheet: 27.6 x 20.4 cm (10 7/8 x 8 1/16 in.)

Classification

Print

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Bequest of Mrs. Madeleine Hamill in memory of Lawrence Hamill